News about ​Botanical ​​Artand for ​Botanical Artists

These are the names of the exhibiting artists at theRHS Botanical Art Show in 2018. This year the show has changed dates and instead of February is now one between 10th and 12th July 2018 - at the RHS London Plant and Art Fair at the RHS Lindley Hall, SW1P 2QW and the RHS Lawrence Hall SW1P 2QD

​RHS Botanical Art Show Exhibitors July 2018

There are 44 exhibitors in total which (I think) is a lot more than in previous years. There is going to be some serious competition - there are a number of former Gold Medal Winners (former RHS Gold Medal Winners have GM after their name).

In addition, so far I've counted at least two former winners of Best Painting (Bridget Gillespie in 2017 and Hideo Hirokoshi in 2015) and one artist who has won best exhibit twice (Hye Woo shin in )

I'm listing the exhibiting artists by country of originto demonstrate the worldwide appeal of this very prestigious exhibition. Nobody else requires exhibitors to produce six high quality artworks on a theme. I highly recommend that those wanting to exhibit with the RHS in future visit the exhibition if they can - and if they can't take a look at my blog posts about previous exhibitions. (see the end of this blog post for more information)

The number per country is as follows:

19 x UK + 1 group

7 x Japan

4 x Korea

2 x Italy

2 x New Zealand

2 x Turkey

1 x Australia

1 x Austria

1 x Brazil

1 x Hong Kong

1 x Thailand

1 x USA​

UK (19 artists and 1 group)

Sarah Howard at the 2016 Show with three of her six Horn of Africa Aloes which won her a Gold Medal

​Vanda Adamson - exhibited French hedgerow flowers and fruit in 2015 and won a Silver Bedal

Margaret Bickerton - Won a bronze medal in 2016 for Artichokes

Christina Hart-Davies GM- I have one of her paintings hanging in my home! She has three previous Gold Medals for paintings of mosses and lichens plus an RHS Gold Medal and a World Orchid Conference Bronze for paintings of European and Australian Terrestrial orchids

Bridget Gillespie GM(Best painting RHS 2017) - Bridget has been a botanical artist since 1992 Last year she won a Gold for her exhibit Root Vegetables Life Cycle and won the Best Painting in Show award for her beetroot. She has two previous Gold Medals for plums and pears. She's currently featured on the RHS page about this year's show. Bridget teaches botanical art at the Helmsley Walled Garden in Yorkshire

Maureen Hallahan- (Note: I'd ignore the reference to membership of the RHS on the first page. I'm a member of the RHS because I pay my subscription. I suspect she means working towards a place in the exhibition.)

Sarah Jane Humphrey- Has a degree in BA(Hons) Scientific and Natural History Illustration and success in translating her paintings in commercial products. Published her fist book age 21 and has a track record of a steady commissions. She's represented by the Wildlife Art Company. She won a Silver Gilt Medal in 2017

Catherine Kellie - Commended at BISCOT for an exhibit of Spring flowers

Michael Lakin- Has been teaching botanical art for over 12 years. Author of a number of "how to" botanical painting books

Christianne Lim​ - no website

Nicola Macartney- In 2012 Nicola graduated with distinction from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh's Diploma in Botanical Illustration

Janne Richardson - Graduating with a BA Honours Graphic Design in 1980, she specialised in Medical & Scientific Illustration. In 2014 she graduated with Distinction from the RBGE Diploma Course

Surjit Riyait - no website

Laura Silburn GM (2013, 2014) - Laura is a Fellow of the Eden Project Florilegium Society. She won a gold medal Varieties of Hardy Geranium that have received the RHS Award of Garden Merit in 2013 and in Oct. 2014 won a Gold Medal and the Best in Show Exhibit for Aristolochia species from botanic gardens in England. Read her interview with me in 2014 which includes a link to her interview in The Plantsman about painting the hardy geraniums which he a Gold Medal in 2013.

​Sylvia Sroka - member of the South West Society of Botanical Artists

Fran Thomas - Fran won a Gold Medal and the for best exhibit at BISCOT 2017

Simon Williams- Simon is the Director of the Society of Botanical Artists's Distance Learning Diploma Course

South West Society of Botanical Artists (SWSBA) - formed in 2006 to promote and encourage a high standard in botanical art throughout the South West of England. We had an excellent group exhibit that won a Gold Medal last year. Can SWSBA equal this performance?

Laura Silburn GM with three of her watercolour paintings of Aristolochias of British Botanic Gardens Laura is viewing her two paintings which were purchased by Dr Shirley Sherwood

botanical illustration - where the emphasis is on the identification of species and support for the scientific perspective and publication - hence an emphasis on monochrome illustrations

botanical art - which has aesthetic appeal and is always botanically accurate in terms of scale, form, structure and colour and might include the portrayal of habitat. However it is not always as complete as a scientific botanical illustration.

flower painting - which is much more about the creation of an aesthetically pleasing painting and is much less about botanical accuracy and plant identification.

Further down the page, I expand on

The Science of Botanical Illustration

The Artistry of Botanical Art

which cites definitions used for botanical illustration and botanical art - including those used by the RHS, ASBA and BAC. I also include links to other parts of the website which provide further information to support those who want to learn more about, for example, scientific botanical illustration.

How do you describe the differences between botanical art and illustration?

What's the History of Botanical Art?

What is Botanical Art? also provides an introduction to the history of the development of botanical art and illustration and why these differences exist. It provides:

an overview of the history of the development of botanical art

highlighting the role of Herbals; the Age of Discovery - and the work done by botanical artists on voyages of exploration and discovery over the years; the role of Gardens and the Florilegium and finally the development of Contemporary Botanical Art in the twentieth century.

summarising the role played by key individuals as patrons or painters in developing both the science and artistry of botanical art and illustration. Most of these individuals have a dedicated page on this website where you can find out more about their contribution. (just tap the link in their names to view their page)​.

One of the important artists who contributed to the development of contemporary botanical art is Pandora Sellars - who worked as a botanical illustrator for the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and designed her complex compositions as a trained artist.

She excelled at developing new ways to design botanical paintings to help understand the colour and form of plants in terms of both their flowers and leaves - and has influenced many botanical artists as a result.

I'm very pleased to announce that the Estate of Pandora Sellars and the RHS have given me permission to use an image of the orchid painting which is now part of the RHS Lindley Library Collection on this website. You can see it above. ​ I'm guessing it will be the first view of this work for many people. To my mind, it's a perfect example of how it is possible to combine botanical illustration and botanical art!

Those visiting the RHS Botanical Art Show in July 2018 have the option of also attending the first Botanical Art Seminar to be held at the same time as the show.

The Botanical Art Seminar is being organised by the RHS Lindley Library Team. ​

What follows is an explanation of

how to plan attending the seminar in the context of the RHS Botanical Art Show.

how to book ticket(s)

​First the context....

RHS Plant and Art Fair (10-12 July 2018)​

From 11–12 July 2018 this London Show will celebrate the beautiful world of botanical art with an exhibition of paintings, illustration and photography from inspiring artists.

The brand new RHS Plant and Art Show 2018 - which now combines both RHS Botanical Art and RHS Botanical Photography - has changed dates. In 2018 it's being held on the following dates:

10th July 2018 (late 5pm - 9pm - no under 16s)

11th July 2018 (11am - 8pm)

12th July 2018(11am - 6pm)

Tickets are available nowvia the RHS website - make sure you pick the right show as the link goes to all the RHS London Shows in 2018. The cost is

£5 for members (in advance or on the day) and it's

£8 in advance and £9 on the day at the door for everybody else.

But before you buy a ticket do check out the Botanical Art Seminar below!

I've had my show tickets booked for weeks - and I will be there on all three days so that I can get round everybody properly! (I will not forget in a hurry the year 13 Gold Medals were awarded and I had to try and interview them all for my blog posts about the RHS Botanical Art Shows!)

RHS Botanical Art Seminar (12 July 2017)​

The RHS Botanical Art Seminar will explore the history and contemporary practice of Botanical Art - and is is limited to 72 places - and bookings have started!

I asked the RHS for more details this morning, so some of what is included below is not on the website

Key Features of the Seminar

The ticket price of £60 includes:

entrance to the RHS Plant and Art Fair throughout the day.

Sandwich Lunch - served in the Lawrence Hall Refectory at lunchtime

Evening Drinks reception - in the Lindley Library with invited artist demonstrators and exhibitors from the Botanical Art Show.

Tea and coffee - available during the afternoon in the Lawrence Hall Refectory.

The timetable is as follows:

10am - Registration starts

10.30am - Seminar starts

12.15-1.15pm - Lunch

5pm - Seminar finishes

6pm - RHS Plant and Art Fair closes at 6pm

6pm - 7.30pm - Drinks reception in the Lindley Library

​​Those attending the Seminar are asked to arrive between 10- 10.30am to register for the day and receive their wrist bands. These wrist bands will then allow them (but nobody else) access to ALL of the following:

​A series of Talks in the morning - including ‘A History of Botanical Art’ by the RHS Lindley Library Art Curator. Speakers include RHS Art Curator Charlotte Brooks, Botanist Dr James Compton and RHS Gold medal-winning artist Masumi Yamanaka.

A tour of the RHS Lindley Library in the afternoon - which hopefully will include viewing some of the very special art in the RHS collection. NOTE: People need to register in the morning for a library tour in the afternoon. There will be four sessions of up to 18 people each, lasting approx. 30 mins - and no 'drop-in' access to the tours. Every ticket must be pre-booked.

visit the RHS Plant and Art Fair - see the RHS Botanical Art Show - each of the 40+ artists from around the world will be displaying a minimum of six works that will have been assessed by the Picture Panel for RHS Gold, Silver Gilt, Silver and Bronze Medals. A very educational experience for those hoping to submit in future!

Viewmaster-class demonstrations by four botanical artists including RHS Gold-medal winners, demonstrating various techniques in watercolour, pen and ink, pencil and painting on vellum. Visitors will be able to speak to the artists as well as watch them work. The artist demonstrations will take place in one of the rooms in the Conference Centre (i.e. not in the Botanical Art Show).

Location of activities: Activities will be held in the Lindley Conference Centre, the Lindley Library and the two Horticultural Halls - the Lawrence Hall and the Lindley Hall. Those with their seminar wristbands will be able to pass through the set of double doors - manned by security - between the entrance to the RHS and the Lindley Library (in Vincent Square) and the Lindley Hall where the Botanical Art Show is held (entrance in Elverton Street).

It's certainly possible to see both the Botanical Art Show and attend the Seminar - but to my mind it's a little bit of a tight squeeze.

However if you want to visit with a view to a future submission to the show and/or are a really serious botanical art fan you might want to think about very seriously about having a BOTANICAL ART BINGE and attend on two days not just one (Botanical Art Show on the 11th and Seminar on the 12th). i.e. most fans typically spend at least 3-4 hours seeing the show and the trade stands (which will include most if not all those offering botanical art courses). It's very easy to spend all day there! I never ever regret going back the next day!

That might bump the price up for those not living in London. However, in my opinion, this is an absolutely unequalled opportunity to see an abundance of top quality world class botanical art by both contemporary botanical artists from all over the world - and past masters.

If artists can fly in from all over the world to exhibit at this show, why not think about the benefit to you of investing some time visiting it for yourself - and getting some education at the same time?

The photography exhibition is an interesting one because, unlike the botanical art exhibition, it sometimes throws up excellent photographers who have decided to give plants a go! Consequently you sometimes get people doing very well who have never previously exhibited and might never again.

By way of contrast you also have the dedicated botanical photographers who have notched up Gold and/or Silver Gilts at previous exhibitions, who work long and hard on their projects and are sometimes quite intensely botanical! Note that the GM suffix indicates that the individual has won an RHS Gold Medal at a previous show(s).

Best Portfolio Photography Exhibit
​

Beech and Birch by Stephen Whitethorne

The ​Best Portfolio Photography Exhibit went to Stephen Whitehornefor Scottish Beech and Birch. He lives in the Borders of Scotland and is a working professional photographer who doesn't do Facebook of Twitter! Plus he has nothing about his exhibit on his website.

RHS Gold Medals
​

The Gold Medals were awarded to:
​Laurence Hill GM for Deconstructed Fritillaria. Laurence describes the process used to produce his very unusual exhibits in this blog post . He also allows you to

download a very detailed explanation in a pdf file about his Deconstructed Fritillaria - which is well worth taking a look at if you want to know how composite images are produced! It's an incredibly botanical and echnical project!

Using Fritillaria characters (tepals, capsules, stamens, seeds, bulbs, leaves) I have constructed six non-Linnaean based, composite images. They compare characters across a genus - as opposed to the convention of grouping different characters of a single species. These create interesting comparative elements in a formal design.Laurence Hill

Polina Plotnikova GM for Past Perfect. Polina is a Russian born UK-based photographer who now lives in the London Borough of Bromley. She has previously won four silver-gilt and two Gold Medals. You can also see an exhibit of her photographs for this project in a photo album on her Facebook Page.

Past Perfect exhibit by Polina Plotnikova GM

I have been working on the 'Past Perfect' project for the past three years, experimenting endlessly with different ways of preserving my graceful but extremely fragile models
Polina Plotnikova

Peter Searight got his Gold for a portfolio of The Beauty of Birch from Autumn to Spring​ - which focuses on the silver birch trees (Betula pendula) found on common land near his home in Sussex.

Stephen Whitehorne for Beech and Birch focused on beech and silver birch trees in the woodlands and forests of Perthshire and Stirlingshire.

It was nice to see some trees get a high profile in this exhibition. It's often plants or gardens.
Interestingly the two latter gentlemen who both photographed trees don't appear to specialise in botanical photography - unlike Laurence and Polina who are both previous Gold Medal Winners.
​

RHS Gold Medal

Bernard F Carter (Buxton, Derbyshire) Seed Heads - the Best Botanical Art Exhibit was awarded to Bernard F Carter for his exhibit of Seed Heads. Bernard is a former professional photographer who took up botanical art in his retirement. This is his second Gold Medal. He previous won one for a series of fruit and vegetable montages. You can also see some of his paintings in Botanical Illustration for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide by Meriel Thurstan, Rosie Martin

Lesley Randall (San Diego, USA) Native Hawaiian Flora - Lesley has previously won the ASBA Botanical Illustrator Award For Excellence in Scientific Botanical Art. She has worked as a professional scientific illustrator for many years.

​One of the things I've observed that happens often when international artists exhibit at the RHS Botanical Art Shows is that they come with a friend or colleague from their botanical art society or country. That means they're not on their own and have got some help and support from somebody who speaks their language. Not an issue with Australians from ACT - but you get my drift! I think it's a really great idea.

In terms of exhibiting at Malvern, there's some jolly good reasons for exhibiting there:

Some use Malvern as a "try out" for exhibiting at the main show in the Lindley Hall. Being at a smaller exhibition is less intimidating for a first timer.

Malvern is a more attractive option in terms of accessibility for all those who live in Wales, the Midlands and the West of England given the location of The Three Counties Showground approximately 8 miles from the M5 and M50 motorways.

Many thanks to Holly Somerville (Website | Facebook) for allowing me to use her photos of the display by the Irish Society of Botanical Artists.

Botanical Art Exhibitions in Scotland covers international, national and local exhibitions of botanical art by BISCOT, RGBE projects, and the national and local botanical art societies and groups.

The website includes an ARCHIVE of Past Botanical Art Exhibitions in the UK. This is a listing for the more significant botanical art exhibitions in the UK in recent years. From which you can see which places, organisations, galleries and artists have been the most active.

It also includes links to relevant exhibition guides which are still available.

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